Flong



United States This invention relates to an improved flong,- the use of which enables the production of high quality stereotype mats.

For many years stereotype mats were prepared by the so-called wet process. In more recent years dry mats have replaced wet mats. These mats whenmolded, are of non-uniform depth of space, are uneven of printing sunface, cannot be impressed by Fairchild plastics or similar engravings, and by reason of their structural characteristics their backs must be packed before printing plates are cast therefrom. That is, these mats, because of their composition and thickness, are of such nature, after they are impressed by the type faces that are to be reproduced, that in-standard molding practice the arches or spaces in the back of the mat must be supported by packing or pasting strips of feltorother supporting material in these-areasto support these areas against collapse during the subsequent stereotype metal printing plate casting operation. It is an arduous and costly operation to pack the back of a'stereotype mat, necessitating the services of highly skilled and costly mechanics who produce mats adequate in quantity but not always in quality. Accordingly, large quantities of inferior mats are produced daily with the consequent result of inferior picture and type reproduction in the papers delivered to the home and sold over the news stands. 'It is not the fault of the personnel making the 'mats and casting'the plates but rather the inadequacy of the flongs from and With which they'have to work. Probably the greatest bottleneck insofar as production is concerned, and also quality of reproduction, is this matter of packing the rear side of the mats. Between the arches or spaces on the back of conventional dry mats are many fla areas that must be filled in my the application of small strips of felt to support these areas during the casting operation or else they would, at least partially, collapse and a poor casting would result. Highly skilled technicians are the only personnel competent to properly pack these mats and are paid accordingly. Even these skilled operators are not infallible. Thus, not infrequently, poor mats result, the castings from which reproduce, in the printing of the newspaper, with poor clarity, tone and definition.

In view of the high cost of news print, it is important atent a for a newspaper to condense as much type as possible to the page. Therefore, the ability of the flong to shrink sufiiciently is of paramount importance to the newspaper flongs lies in their inability to receive accurately the impression of an engraving, plastic or otherwise. Commercially available flongs do not have suflicient compressibility as to enable them to be directly impressed by a. flexible, thermoplastic engraving, such as a Fairchild.

Obviously, if the impression of such. a plastic engraving can be made in the mat, costs are substantially reduced and production is greatly expedited. A 1

There is another major disadvantage commonly ex perienced with the use of conventional stereotypemats.

h ve

2 Presently available flongs are of such composition that when type faces are impressed therein, it is not unusual that the mat has structures or fractures, unevenness and other faults which create problems in the casting operation and reduce materially the casting life of the mat.

Still further, conventional flongs have inherent characteristics that necessitate pencilling out of high router bit marks along the shoulders'and edges of irregularly shaped plastic, electrotype and engraved pattern plates.

It is accordingly among the objects of our invention to provide a flong by the use of which in the preparation of a dry stereotype mat, the aforementioned problems and. difficulties are obviated in a highly efficient and economical manner. It is a further object of our invention to provide a flong that can be economically manufactured by standard paper making machinery without the necessity of training operators thereof in new and complicated techniques. A still further object of our inyention is to provide a flong that is economically compatible with current flongs but at the same time produces superior results in the molding of dry stereotype mats. Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements, arrangement of parts, and in the relation and order of each of the same to one or more of the others, all as will be illustratively described hereinaftenand the scope of the applicationof which will be indicated in the appended claims. I

In the course of the development of'the flong to be described in detail herein, we experimented with many and diverse combinations of wood pulp and filler materials. Our conception of. the ideal flong was one that had the attributes of adequate compressibility, resistance to cracking (thus to avoid peeling. troubles in casting fromfthe mat), of ability to produce a dry stereotype mat from which full bowl depth in letter characters andfunusual clarity of printed type could be obtained, of ability Ito receive directly the impression of any. type of engraving so that such engraving would not haveto beadhered to the plate, and quite importantly of the ability of the flong to producea flat back stereotype mat from which large numbers of castings could be accurately madewithout the necessity of packing the back of the mat. They shrink the same as conventional mats, and do not require major newspaper stereotype casting equipment changes.

Accordingly, in the course of our research and experimental effort, we not only carefully analysed the efforts 'of those who had heretofore developed flongs for production of dry mats, but also, as a result of our studies, discovered that to attain our desired ends, a flong having the .aforementioned attributes could only have them by virtue of a novel combination of individually .old constituents but blended and worked together in a manner and. proportion that we shall describe below.

To produce what We term a flat back flong, unique combinations of wood pulp and filler materials are necessary. In our concept, we realized this to be the case, but the findingof the operative and effective combination of constituents was effected through experimenting with what we knew to be the basic materials. It was well known that a usable flong was composed primarily of wood pulp embodied with a filler of one or another material. Starting therefrom we sought a new combination of well known basic materials whereby to create a flong having the characteristics and attributes enumerated above v As a result of our discoveries eventuating from our research and experimentation we evolved the unique and highly eflicient combination of constituents that comprise our flong, now to be described.

,..In accordance. with the present invention, we have discovered that when proper proportions of cellulose pulp and filler materials are combined and worked in more or less conventional fashion and a fiong of greater than conventional thickness is prepared therefrom, the fiong will have the several attributes and characteristics necessary for the molding of a high quality stereotype mat. The flong will have such a degree of compressibility that full bowl depth in letter characters and unusual clarity of printed type are readily attainable. Although the fiong has .the desirable characteristics of toughness and hardness its compressibility combined with its unusual thickness makes it possible to produce a fiat back dry stereotype mat that does not require packing prior to the casting operation. Further, it has the highly'desirable ability to receive directly the impression of any type of engraving thus obviating the necessity of adhering flexible thermo-plastic engravings to the stereotype plate in the conventional manner after casting.

The following are several examples of the preparation of a fiong in accordance with our invention. It is to be understood that these specific examples are illustrative only'and that our invention is not limited thereto, but changes and modifications may be made as will occur to those skilled in the art.

Example #1 .In this example, the fiong comprises a smooth-surfaced sheet of a thickness ranging from about .045 to .065" (preferred thickness about .055) and includingthe following constituents:

Percent'by weight 30 Bleached sulfitefibre 19-42.5 55 Unbleached sulfite fibre 56-4-25 85 Fibre con 75-85 13.5 Kaolin clay 22.5-13.5 15 Diatomaceous earth 2.5-l.5 l Filler content 25-15 While we prefer to use bleached sulfite fibres, we have found that satisfactory results may be attained with the use of bleached sulfate or bleached alpha pulps as the physical characteristics of their fibres are quite similar to those of bleached sulfite fibres. By incorporating bleached fibres as one of the constituents of our flong, we attain the desired compressibility enabling the production .of a flat back mat and direct impression of engravmgs.

As for the un'bleached'sulfite fibres, we discovered that their characteristics were such as to lend the necessary toughness and durability to the mat thus enabling it ito'stand up under the hard usage attendant to the casting operation.

Thus we combined the advantageous features of .the bleached and unbleached fibres while, in effect, discarding the disadvantageous features thereof by our unique selection of the percentages of each in the combination.

Example 1 is our preferred combination and we have attained our best results by using a fibre content of 35% bleached and 65% unbleached fibre and a filler content of 90% kaolin clay and diatomaceous earth. Using. these percentages of constituents to form a fiong .055" thick provides, among others, the following balanced features essential to newspaper stereotyping applications:

(l) Adequate compressibility-to provide space depth sufi'icient for clean printing.

(2) Easily controllable shrinkage (page Width) ranging from to 1 5 Shrinkage control has become ofparamount importance in recent years because of the ever increasing cost of newsprint.

(3 Readyadaptibility to all types of stereotype plate casting equipment from hand boxes to automatic casting boxes.

(4) Capacity to castany desired number of stereotype plates (from one up to sixty or more if desired) without any cracking or stay back problems. Because of the smoothness and toughness of the mat, the plates are easily 4 stripped from the mat and the type metal does not adhere to the met.

(5) Adequate thickness permitting molding of flat back mats that need no packing as do conventional mats to support the arches between impressions.

When a fiong of this composition is used in a molding combination as disclosed in the co-pending application of Charles S. Scherb, Serial No. 642,885, filed February 27, 1957, now abandoned, stereotype mats of the highest quality are readily attainable.

When a stereotype mat molded from this fiong is used, the fiong is first moistened to the extent of shrinkage desired. By virtue of our unique combination of constituents and the thickness of'this fiong, shrinkage can be ac curately controlled from about & to 1 when molded in accordance with the method disclosed in the said Scherb application, a range that is quite satisfactory to the newspaper industry. So moistened, the fiong attains that degree of plasticity so as to take a deep and exact impression of the printing form without exertion of excessive pressure. Furthermore, the mat, after impression, readily releases its moisture content and quickly and accurately shrinks to the predetermined desired page width and has an extremely accurate smooth and level surface to receive the molten type metal. This surface is entirely free from cracks and projecting fibres thus eliminating all casting problems and making possible the production of a large number of high quality castings. As the mat produced from this flonghas a fiat back that does not necessitate packing, there is no danger of arch collapse during casting and hence high fidelity reproduction is assured.

Example #2.-;In this example, the fiong again comprises a smooth-surfaced sheet of a thickness ranging from about .045" to .065" (again the preferred thickness is about .055") and includes the following constituents:

Percent by weight Bleached sulfite fibre -85 Kaolin clay 22.5-13.5 Diatomaceous earth. 2.5-1.5 Filler content F 25-15 A fiong comprising the constituent percentages of Example #2 is satisfactorily usable with certain restrictions. While it is somewhat more compressible than the preferred flong of Example #1, it lacks the toughness and durability of flonge #1 because of the absence of unbleached sulfite and accordingly, cannot satisfactorily cast more than four or five stereotype plates. Furthermore, mats made from this fiong can only be used in hand boxes and "Pony Autoplate type of casting boxes. Still further, the shrinkage range is reduced to about maximum. Within these restrictions, however, the fiong of Example #2 can be satisfactorily molded to produce accurate stereotype mats when used as described in the said Scherb application.

The fiong of Example #2 is made and used in the same manner as the flange of Example #1.

Example #3.-Here again the flange comprises a smooth-surfaced sheet of a thickness ranging from about .045" to .065" (the preferred thicskness is about .055) and includes the following constituents:

7 Percent by weight Unbleached sulfite fibre 75-85 Kaolin clay. 22.5-13.5 Diatomaceous earth 2.5-1.5 Filler content 25-15 As in the case of Example #2 this fiong is satisfactory as long as the high degree of compressibility characterizing Examples #1 and #2 is. not required. With less compressibility resulting from the omission, in this case bleached sulfite fibres, it is more diflicult to obtain clean printing. This fiong is, however, extremely tough and durable and with proper use highly satisfactory stereotype mats and plates may be produced. This fiong is manufactured in the same manner as the fiong of Example #1.

Example #4.This flong comprises a smooth-surfaced sheet of a thickness ranging from about .045" to .065" (the preferred thickness in this case being about .060") and includes the following constituents:

Percent by weight It will be noted that this flong resembles that of Example #1 except as to filler materials. By reason of the predominance of diatomaceous earth over kaolin clay increased compressibility, resulting in greater space depth is attained, thus allowing clean printing with less vigilance in printing press operation. However, maximum shrinkage in this combination is reduced to about /2 which under certain circumstances is adequate. Because of the increased compressibility factor we prefer to increase the thickness of this flong to the optimum value of .060".

It may now be seen that we have attained the several objects hereinabove set forth in a thoroughly practical and efiicient manner.

We claim:

1. A compressible, moldable flong comprising a cofelted mixture of chemical wood pulp fibers and filler, the fiber content ranging from about 5% to about 85% and the filler content ranging from about 25% to about 15%, said flong having a thickness of at least 0.045 and containing bleached chemical wood pulp fibers, said flong being characterized by a compressibility enabling molding therefrom a stereotype mat having a flat back and a space depth sufiicient to provide cast plates which are clean-printing.

2. A flong as defined in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the flong is at least about 0.055".

3. A flong as defined in claim 1 wherein the filler includes diatomaceous earth.

4. A compressible, moldable flong comprising a cofelted mixture of chemical wood pulp fibers and filler, the fiber content ranging from about 5% to about 85 and the filler content ranging from about 25 to about 15 said flong having a thickness of at least 0.045" and containing at least about 19% bleached chemical wood pulp fibers based on the dry weight of the flong, said flong being characterized by a compressibility enabling molding therefrom a stereotype mat having a flat back and a space depth sufficient to provide cast plates which are clean-printing.

5. A flong as defined in claim 4, wherein the thickness of the flong is at least about 0.055".

6. A compressible, moldable flong comprising a cofelted mixture of chemical wood pulp fibers and filler, the fiber content ranging from about 75% to about 85% and the filler content ranging from about 25 to about 15 the fiber content including at least about 19%, based on the dry weight of the flong, of bleached chemical wood pulp fibers selected from the group consisting of bleached sulfite, bleached sulfate, and bleached alpha pulps, said flong having a thickness of at least 0.045" and being characterized by a compressibility enabling molding therefrom a stereotype mat having a flat back and a space depth suificient to provide cast plates which are cleanprinting.

7. A flong as defined in claim 6 wherein the filler includes diatomaceous earth.

8. A compressible, moldable flong comprising a cofelted mixture of bleached and unbleached chemical wood pulp fibers and filler, the fiber content ranging from about 75% to about 85% and the filler content ranging from about 25% to about 15%, the bleached fiber content being at least 19% based on the dry weight of the flong, said flong having a thickness of a least 0.045 and a compressibility enabling molding therefrom a stereotype mat having a fiat back and a space depth suflicient to provide cast plates which are cleanprinting.

9. A flong as defined in claim 8 wherein the unbleached chemical wood pulp fiber is unbleached sulfite.

10. A flong as defined in claim 8 wherein the thickness of the flong is at least about 0.055".

11. A compressible, moldable flong comprising a cofelted mixture of bleached and unbleached chemical wood pulp fibers and filler, the fiber content ranging from about 75 to about and the filler content ranging from about 25% to about 15%, the bleached fiber content ranging from about 19% to about 42.5% based on the dry weight of the flong and being selected from the group consisting of bleached sulfite, bleached sulfate and bleached alpha pulps, said flong having a thickness of at least 0.045" and a compressibility enabling molding therefrom a stereotype mat having a fiat back and a space depth sufiicient to provide cast plates which are cleanprinting.

12. A compressible, moldable flong comprising a cofelted mixture of about 19% to about 42.5% bleached chemical wood pulp fibers selected from the group consisting of bleached sulfite, bleached sulfate and bleached alpha pulps, about 56% to about 42.5% unbleached chemical wood pulp fibers, the fiber content being about 75% to about 85%, and about 25% to about 15% filler, the thickness of said flong being at least about 0.055", said flong being characterized by a compressibility enabling molding therefrom a stereotype mat having a flat back and a space depth sufiicient to provide cast plates which are clean-printing.

13. A flong as defined in claim 12 wherein the unbleached chemical wood pulp fiber is unbleached sulfite.

14. A flong as defined in claim 12 wherein the filler includes diatomaceous earth.

15. A molded stereotype dry mat having a fiat, unpacked back, comprising a co-felted mixture of chemical wood pulp fibers and filler, the fiber content ranging from about 75 to about 85 and the filler content ranging from about 25 to about 15 said mat having a thickness of at least 0.045" and containing at least about 19% bleached chemical wood pulp fibers based on the dry weight of the mat, said molded mat being characterized by compressed areas extending from the face to the flat back, said compressed areas having a space depth sulficient to provide cast plates from said molded mat which are clean-printing.

16. A molded stereotype dry mat as defined in claim 15 wherein the bleached chemical wood pulp fibers are selected from the group consisting of bleached sulfite, bleached sulfate and bleached alpha pulps.

17. A molded stereotype dry mat as defined in claim 16 wherein the chemical Wood pulp fibers consist of bleached and unbleached fibers.

18. A molded stereotype dry mat as defined in claim 17 wherein the filler includes diatomaceous earth and thickness of the mat is at least about 0055".

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Casey: Pulp and Paper, vol. 1, pages 468-479.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE, O CORRECTION Patent N00 .3 O6l 89'? November 6 1962 Ralph'B, Mi lli ngton et a1;

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1 line 41 for "fla" read flat 3 same line 41 for "my" read by column 4 lines 56 and 5'? for "flange'fi each occurrence read :Elong line'59 for "thicskness" read thickness column 5 lines 29 and 42 for 5%" each. occurrence read 75% column 6 line 7O igr "Marc, 4,, 1985" read Mar. 4 1958 -o Signed and sealed this 4th day of December 1962@ SEAL) :test:

ENEST w. SWIDER DAVID LADD testing Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A COMPPESSIBLE, MOLDABLE FLONG COMPRISING A COFELTED MIXTURE OF CHEMICAL WOOD PULP FIBERS AND FILLER, THE FIBER CONTENT RANGING FROM ABOUT 5% TO ABOUT 85% AND THE FILLER CONTENT RANGING FROM ABOUT 25% TO ABOUT 15%, SAID FLONG HAVING A THICKNESS OF AT LEAST 0.045" AND CONTAINING BLEACHED CHEMICAL WOOD PULP FIBERS, SAID FLONG BEING CHARACTERIZED BY A COMPRESSIBILITY ENABLING MOLDING THEREFORM A STEREOTYPE MAT HAVING A FLAT BACK AND A SPACE DEPTH SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE CAST PLATES WHICH ARE CLEAN-PRINTING. 